My Bali Buddha

Some of you may not know but those of you who know me well, know I inherited a great love for wood, especially mahogany or teak from my dad. My house has teak doors, teak kitchen, coffee tables etc. It’s everywhere basically as I love the warmth, comfort of it, the richness of its grain, the beauty held in each unique piece as it surrendered to the craftsmanship of various creative hands. I love trying to figure out its story.

I just love wood even in its alive form – the forest. I love the feeling of walking through a forest and being revitalised by its energy, being in its majestic presence as trees of all shapes and forms often tower many feet above me. I have occasionally given into the inner child and climbed many an inviting tree and relish just sitting on one of its powerful branches.

I feel energy off trees and sometimes I can pick up the energy of the female over the male, my first experience of this was on the Hill of Tara standing in amongst the wishing trees. It was an amazing experience.

Trees have a life force, an energy, this I was always aware of and often contemplated. What I never stopped to think about was the energy of the creative hands that turn or carve the wood and how that energy passes onto us as we bring these pieces into our homes.

I learnt so many valuable insights in Bali last year and this was one valuable lesson.

You all know at this point how much this amazing country impacted on me. What a lot of you don’t know was two days before travelling my sister was diagnosed with cancer. So the trip on my own to face my fears became even more powerfully symbolic. My first few days in Bali were spent in isolation as fear gripped me on many levels. Bali, however, welcomed me with open arms, embraced me in my journey, helped me face so many fears and helped me come to terms with my sisters illness. So I wanted to bring a piece of her home with me as the impact of this beautiful country and it’s amazing people was so profound. So, my journey to find my Bali Buddha commenced.

Bali is renowned for its amazing carvings. The Balinese are simply gifted, this craft is passed down from generation to generation with love and passion. I got to see items being carved from a lump of wood with no physical blueprint just a mental vision. It was astounding and humbling to observe each stoke, twist and turn, engraved into the wood. Each piece is unique in so many ways, ingrained with each chisel of wood is the energy of the creative carver.

So I spent days travelling around various studios and show rooms looking for the Buddha that I was going to bring home to Ireland. This is where the realisation of pride in your work really impacted and the attitude you bring to that work even more.

Dewa was my driver and an absolute angel whilst I was staying in Bali he carried me to various points of interest around the island. He also brought me to various amazing studios and showrooms in search of my Buddha. Fortunately Dewa was well aware of energy so he didn’t even blink when minutes after entering a studio I’d say “no, I don’t like the energy here and would do a U-turn and head back out onto the street.

You may laugh, but I’m serious some of those Buddha’s had the air of “I’m carving another bloody Buddha” radiating off them! I swear!! I saw cross buddha’s, moody buddha’s and stern Buddha’s. I saw buddha’s that would make your hair stand on edge and one’s that would give you the chills. Buddha’s that would make you burst out laughing. It was a hoot but I was just beginning to lose faith when I found him!!! My Buddha, sitting serene and calm amongst a deluge of other carvings. I knew the moment I saw him he was on a one way trip to Ireland.

You may remember from some of my posts last year that I had travelled during monsoon season. I loved how the streets got deserted when the deluge fell from the skies, and I’ve already recounted how people offered me umbrellas to shelter from the rain. I ran through these deluges giggling and laughing like a four year old playing in the puddles. Getting soaked to the skin, cleansed by nature and feeling freer than I had felt in years.

All this was major confirmation to me that this guy was the right Buddha for me. It was compounded when the shop owner told me he was made from Suar Wood. Suar wood is known as ….

THE MAJESTIC “RAIN TREE”

Bingo!!!!

The Suar wood tree, is a large tropical rain tree that can grow up to heights of 25m. This tree is characterised by its canopy which is shaped like an umbrella. This leafy shape canopy naturally creates an insulated, cool climate underneath its thick, leafy branches. I just got a visual of being held protected within the range of branches of this tree and saw this Buddha enhancing and protecting the space of my studio.

Because it has crisscrossed interlocking grains, Suar wood is resistant to cracking from wood movement and is much sought-after for its robustness. It is moderately heavy but extremely strong. Somehow, I saw my heavy but fighting heart in this piece. I was informed that Suar wood is highly resistant to decay and dry-wood termites, because of this Suar wood is highly favourable in fine furniture making compared to other woods in Indonesia. Another bonus for me it has the look of mahogany so, I knew he was going to feel right at home in Charleville!

So this is just a little insight to my Bali Buddha whom you will get an opportunity to see in the new Yoga Studio which will be opening in a couple of weeks. I will also introduce you in a little while to my “Rebel Buddha” which you will also have an opportunity to see at the studio.

In the meantime, classes are running to normal schedule this week. So I’m looking forward to seeing you guys on the mat during this coming week.